In zones 9 to 11, as well as in warmer parts of zone 8, it is fully hardy and can be grown as an outdoor shrub. In warmer ones, it doesn’t need a greenhouse and can be seen outdoors. At least, you’ll see it in greenhouses in cold climates. Because of its size, though, you’re more likely to see it in the greenhouses of botanical gardens than in private homes. The rice paper plant can be grown as a houseplant if you have plenty of space (it can easily reach 20 feet/7 m in height and 6 feet/2 m in diameter!) and excellent atmospheric humidity. The leaves vaguely recall those of a close relative, the schefflera ( Schefflera actinophylla) and indeed both belong to the Araliaceae or aralia family, but are even more like those of the castor bean plant ( Ricinus communis), which is in no way related and belongs to an entirely different family, the Euphorbiaceae. The rice paper plant is a very striking plant because of its huge palmately-lobed leaves that measure from 1 to 2 feet in diameter (up to 3 feet in the case of the cultivar ‘Steroidal Giant’!). Rice paper plant ( Tetrapanax papyrifer). Knowing nothing about the paper other than that it came from China, where rice is the main cereral grain, Europeans assumed that it was made from rice and began calling it rice paper.īy the time the actual origin of the plant became known, it was too late to change common usage and its paper is still called rice paper to this day, although specialists distinguish it from other rice papers by calling it pith paper, since it is made from the pith found inside the branches of the plant. They quickly became very popular as home decorations. What happened is that, in the late 19 th and early 20 th century, paintings began arriving in Europe from China that were painted on an unknown paper. It certainly looks nothing like true rice ( Oryza sativa), which is a grass. Its botanical name is Tetrapanax papyrifer and it’s a tall, unbranching shrub or small tree. Yes, there is a plant known as the rice paper plant. The Rice Paper Plant 19th century painting on “rice paper”. Surprise! The rectangles of translucent white paper frequently used in origami, calligraphy, painting and other handicrafts and sold in art material stores under the name “rice paper” are not made of rice at all, but are rather derived from one of two shrubs. (Of course, you wouldn't want to eat notebook or other store-bought paper because it is made with other chemicals.Yes, it’s called rice paper, but it contains not a smidgen of rice. This makes starches handy as a gluing and stiffening agent for paper.Ĭellulose and starch are both edible, so homemade paper can be, too. When heated with a liquid, starches absorb the liquid, expand, and form a network of starch particles. To make commercial paper strong, manufacturers also add starches. Observe how much resistance the paper provides. To evaluate its strength, try gently tearing a corner. How smooth is it? Can it be stretched? To test its flexibility, try rolling it into a tube. Evaluate an unwrinkled sheet of paper-which is essentially a mat of cellulose. If it is soaked and then dried, it becomes a flexible, strong material. Brown rice flour by comparison contains about 2 percent cellulose.Ĭellulose has many qualities that make it an excellent material for creating paper. Wood also has a lot of cellulose in fact, approximately 50 percent of the matter in wood is cellulose. It is also found in other plants as well. Cellulose is the thread-like component in grains, greens and other vegetables or fruits. The fibers are from a material called cellulose, which gives plants their structural support. Paper is made up of plant fibers pressed together into a thin, flexible-but-strong mat. The reduced amount of fibers also provides a smoother feel in the mouth. The combination of the insoluble fibers from rice and the starches from potato starch as in the recipe used in this activity can create the desired outcome: a smooth surface on a strong, flexible, non-stretchy sheet. These sheets do not show the characteristics we associate with paper because they do not contain insoluble fiber. It is also difficult to make a thin sheet with a paste made of only starches and water. Sheets made from pure starches are flexible and smooth but stretchy. It also makes for a rougher surface and feeling in the mouth. These fibers make the sheets made of pure rice flour flexible, non-stretchy and strong, characteristics we associate with sheets of paper. Rice flour contains insoluble fibers called cellulose. Can you change the recipe and create one that is better than the best result you obtained with this recipe?ĭid your edible paper fulfill most of the characteristics you tested?
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